Bottle evacuating and sealing machine



F,b.26,1929.v 1,703,457

D. ROBERTSON BOTTLE EVACUATING AND SEALING HACHIN Filed Dec. 27. 1928 2 sheets-sheet 1 45 I 4J l l 52 g a6 "7 20 I;

5 WMU Feb. 26, 17929,

D. ROBERTSON BOTTLE EVACUATING AND SEALING MACHINE Filed Dec. 27, 1928 FIG. IE.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J 4.a. x

Patented Feb. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFICE.

DAVID ROBERTSON, OF WELLINGTON, NEW VZEALAND, ASSIGNOR TO VACUUM PROD! UCIS (N. Z.) LIMITED. OF WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND, COMPANY OF NEW ZEALAND.

BOTTLE EvAcUA'rING AND SEALING MACHINE.

Application led December 27, 19428, Serial, No. 328,654, and in New Zealand September 3, 1927..

This invention relatesto a machine devised for use in the bottling of liquids or liquid foods or other like products and in which machine the bottles are evacuated of the air contents and are then closed and sealed by metallic capsules. also the machine mayv provide for the bottles being filled with the desired contents while they are in the machine.

The invention relates more particularly to apparatus designed for the bottling and preservationv of liquids in which thebottle,

have its neck passed upwards into the botl tom end of a recess termed m* a casting' which contains a tapering pressure head within it situated above a side opening or.:

orilice that is connectedl with acapsule-holding magazine so that the capsules may feed into the said recess one by one. The` said orifice is in turn situated above a flexible hollow ring or collar surrounding the recess and into which fluid is designedto be forced to expand it to grip round the bottle neck and then is allowed to escape to free the neck. The recess also is adapted to be connected with the vacuum source to provide that While the bottle is gripped by the said collar, making an airtight seal around it, the air will be exhausted from the bottle, the capsule afterwards being clinched upon the mouth of the bottle by causingthe bottle to rise in the recess s0 asto carry the cap-v sule up against the said pressure head, while still being held 1n the collar. l, y,

In this invention, also, the vacuum is In some cases obtained by means of the passage of a fluid through injector' apparatus contained within .andconnected to a cylinder, the saidfluid also being used to expand the clamping or gripping collar ring before mentioned.

The present improvements yprovide for the automatic control of the machines 0perations through the actuation of a foot'4 lever by means. of which the bottle is raised within the said capsuling and exhausting recess and is lowered therefrom; and other improvements are also provided by means of which the machine is simplilied in construc-A tion and its operations rendered moreV satis-factory. f

These improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whicl 1"-- Figure 1 is a side elevation' of the complete machine.v l

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the upper part thereof. v e, y

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Figure 2. f

Figure l is an enlarged longitudinal section of a` special 'form of vacuum and pressure control. valve for use. in the machine, the plug portion being shown in elevation. Figure fis a view of the operating end of the valve, and v Figure (l a view oi the other end.

Figure 7 is a pMbSeCu-(mal View of thai ,valve plug Figure 8 is a cross section ou the line 8-8 oli-Figure 4l.

F'gure 9 is a. cross section onl the line 9-9 of Figure 4.

Figure l0 is a sectional elevation of the evacuating and sealing chamber forming a vfeature of themachine.

Figures 11 and l2 are detail views of parts of the capsule holding magazine. i

The present machine or apparatus comprises a main pillar or standard 20, Whereon is mounted a bracket guide 2l, in which a vertical rod 22 is slidably fitted and is normally forced upward by means of a spring controlled foot lever 23 mounted in the base of the pillar and to which the bottom end of the rod 22 is connected.` The top end of the rod has a platform 24: secured to it, suoli platform being adapted to receive and hold in a vertical position, a bottle placed thereon with its neck upmost. The rod and platform are adapted to be lowered by depressing the foot lever 23 and will be raised by means of the spring 25 vcontrolling such lever, when the pressure is relieved.

In this invention the means for holding the rod in its lowered position, are of such a nature as to provide for 'the rod being .allowed to move upward either for a limited or an unlimited amount at the operatorslwill. The moans for this purpose comprise a lever 26 which is fixed upon a spin-- die 27 mounted transversely in the bracket 2l. so that it may extend vertically uiiward against the edgeof the platform 2l and which, on its edge yadjacent to the platform, is formed with a lower tooth 28 and an upper tooth 29v spaced a distance apart. Each of these teeth is designed to engage the top of the platform to retain it from lifting, and the lower tooth is so positioned as to hold the platform in the fully lowered position, while the upper tooth will hold it in a position afterwards described. A handle lever 30 is fixed on one end of the spindle 27 to project horizontally and to'provide for the lever 26 being turned in and out to engage and free the platform, but a spring 3l is provided to act on such handle and to turn it normally to cause the lever 2G to be kept turned in against the platform edge.

Consequently, with the teeth 28 and 29 made of ratchet form, as shown,`the platform, if raised, may be drawn down and secured, by merely depressing the foot lever 23, while, if down, may be released to move upward, by lifting the handle 30 and holding it up to permit of the platform rising te the level of the upper tooth 29 or of rising above it, as may be desired. rl`he full limit of movement of the platform is controlled by providing the rod 22 with a cross pin 32 (Figure 3) that slides within slots 33 formed longitudinally lin the guide bracket 2l.

The machine also has embodied therein a vacuum cylinder 34 in which a vacuum is producedin known manner by aspiration of a fluid under pressure (preferably water), and which is dependent upon the supply of such fluid, through a pipe It, also, has embodied therein an exhausting and capsuling chamber' 36 that mounted on the upper' end of the pillar 2O and into the lowerend of which.` the neck of a bottle resting' on the platform 24- is designed to be inserted and held; the invcntion embodying certain improvements in or relating to this chamber 36 which are shown in Figures 10 to l2 of the drawings.

The chamber SGis connected to thevacuum cylinder 34 by means of the pipe connection 37. Within the lower end of the chamber the presser head 38 is fitted, such head being formed by a core piece having a taperbore, into the top end of which a `spring controlled plunger 39 enters. This head is designed to act in such a manner that when a bottle neck having a capsule or crown cork placed on its upper end is pushed upward into the head, the taper of its bore will close the capsule in upon the bottle to grip it, the plunger 39 then cushioning` the shock and expelling the capsuled bottle from the bore, when the upward pressure thereon is relieved.

The capsules, in the present construction, are fed into the head 38, through a slot /lO and then rest upon a slight shoulder il formed in the lower end thereof, ready to be engaged by the bottle neck when it moves upward. This shoulder iO so made that the diameter of the head below it is slightly less than that of the capsule rim when opened out but is greater than the clinched capsule, so that while it will hold the capsule in position ready for the bottle, the capsule will clear the shoulder when the bottle is being withdrawn from the head. The slot 1.0 connects with the chute or magazine 42, into which the capsules are fed one above the other, so that they gravitate down to cause one to enter within the head, Yas each one is removed therefrom. This magazine has its feeding end covered by an airtight cover 43 to prevent leakage of air into the chamber 36 through the magazine. Its en.- try mouth 44'is also shaped, as shown in Figures il and l2, to provide against the insertion of capsules the wrong way up.

To the bottom end of the chamber 36, the

expansible ring 45 is fitted. This ring is contained within a casing fitting Il@ that is held upon the chamber by clamping bolts 47, so that the ring surrounds the-mouth of the chamber and is adapted to be expanded inwardly by the admission of iiuid pressure to it, in the manner already known. rlhe said fluid pressure is supplied through the connection 48 leading from the water suo ply pipe 35.

In this invention the passage of fluid through the pipe 35 is controlled by a valve operated through the rise and fall of the bottle platform 24, to provide for the. following sequence of operations The valve being closed, the first upwardmoveinent of the platform to the. limit provided by the tooth 29 of the retaining lever 2G, holds the valve in its closed position., andy positions the bottle neck just, witl-iin the expansible ring 45; then onthe commencement of the downward movement the valve is opened so that` the fluid will passV through the connection t8 to expand the ring and cause it to make an airtight grip around the bottle neck and retain the bottle in 'place while the lll) lec

Cil

stop 29, so that during this movement the .capsule is placed on the bottle, the neck sliding through the grip of the ring 45, and on the succeeding downward movement, the grip is relieved so that the scaled bottle will move downward with its platform. These movements are controlled by the machine operator, who' with his foot operates the foot lever 23, and with one hand handles the bottle, and with the other, manipulates the handle leverv 80. f

The forni of valve designed for the fluid supply control and as shown in the drawings, particularly7 in Figures 4 to 9 thereof,r

is mounted on the pillar 2O and is of the rotating plug type and actuated by the vertical rod 50 affixed to the` platform 24 and passing upward through a guide block 5l attached to the pillar 20. This rod is formed with a toothed rack 52 which engages a toothed pinion 53 that is loosely mounted upon the spindle 54 of the valve plug 55. This valve plug is mounted within casing 56 from one side of which the pipe 35 leads and into the other side of which the fluid supply connec tion 57 enters, the ports connecting with these respective pipes being in different alignments along the casing length. The plug is tensioned to make an airtight fit within its casing, as by being tapered, as shown, and by the employment of the compression spring 58 bearing against its larger ond. The plug also hollowed in its centro to ferm a chamber 59 which is .in constant communication, through the plug ports 61, with the pipe 35 no matter to what position the plug is turned. At the other endk of the chamber 59, a port 60 is formed which is designed to be cut off from, or to connect with, the supply 57 when the plug is turned through respective halves of a rotation. In one position therefore the valve connects the pipe 57 through to the pipe 35 to cause the fluid to pass through the vacuum cylinder and into the expansible ring 45, and in the other, it shuts off such connection so that the fluid may pass away from the ring through the exhaust pipe 62 of the vsaid 'vacuuml cylinder.

The pinion 53 is designed to lock with the plug spindle 54 as it is turned in the direction caused by the downward movement of the rod 50, and turns loosely thereon on the upward movement, by approvedfree Wheel mechanism which thusimparts a half rotatien to the plug on each of such downward movements. Themeans shown in the drawings for effect-ing this purpose consist of a two-tooth ratchet wheel 63 secured upon the spindle enchand a spring pawl 64 that is pivoted on the face of a disc 65 that is made in one with the pinionand which p-awl engages the periphery of the ratchet, running freely in one direction and locking therewith in the other. i

The ratio of this gearing is such as to provide for the requisite degrees of turning movement of the valve plug on the said upward and downward movements y of the bottle holding platform 24.V

If desired, other forms of valves, performing the same functional operations and actuated by the rod 50, maybe employed, without departing from the general features of this invention.

I claim l l..A bottle'evacuating and'sealing machine comprising a vertically rising and falling platform adapted to support a bottle,

an overhead chamber into the lower end of which thehead of the bottle upon such platform Vis designed to be inserted when the platform is raised, an expansible ring located within such chamber to surround the bottle neck, means for supplying fluid tothe machine to exhaust the said chamber and to expand and exhaust the said ring, and means operated by the movements of said platform for controlling the admission and lexhaust of the fluid to and from the ring and the exhaustion of the chamber.

2. In a machine according to claim l, a control valve governing the admission and exhaust of the fluid toand from the expansible ring and also governing the exhaustionr of the overhead chamber, and connecting means between said valveand the platform acting to operate the valve on successive downward movements of. the platform to successively admit the fluid/and shut it olf.

3. A bottle evacuating and sealing machine comprising a vertically-movable bottle-supporting platform; an overhead chamber into which the head of abottle on said platform is inserted'during the ascent of the platform; an expansible ring in said chamber to surround the bottle neck; meansfor supplying fluid to the machine to exhaust the air from said chamber and the bottle inserted thereinto, and to expand said ring; and a single valve for governing the admission and exhaust of the fluid, said valve being operated automatically by the movements of said platform.

4. A bottle evacu'ating and sealing machine comprising af'vertically-movable bottle-supportingV platform; an overhead chamber into lwhich vthe head of a bottle on said platform is inserted during; the ascent of the platform; an expansble ring in said chamber to surround the bottle neck; means for supplying Huid 'to the machine to exhaust the boiz'le Sai@ rmg a drm simon vand exhaust of the fluid; :md mm1-M151- ratchet gearing connecting the patform and Valve for auomr-cally operating the latter 10 during the movements; o'i'y chev f'ormer.

In testimony whereof, l afx my signature,

DAV@ ROBERTSON. 

